A highlight of our worship through music at St. Thomas’ in the coming weeks will be the Parish Choir’s offering of Requiem by English composer John Rutter (b. 1945) at the noon service on Good Friday, April 2.  The choir will be accompanied by a professional instrumental ensemble, including flute, oboe, cello, harp, percussion and timpani, with guest organist Michael Stuart, conducted by Kenneth Axelson.  Soloists will be Penelope Campbell and Lelah Loftin.  Rutter’s masterful arrangements and compositions have been performed worldwide.  Requiem was written in 1985 and first performed in October of that year.  The Requiem text has been the source of some of the most profoundly conceived compositions in the history of Western music.   Following a precedent set by some previous composers, such as Brahms and Fauré, Rutter has composed a work made up of personally chosen texts, incorporating selected Latin texts from the traditional Requiem with English texts from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.  This work can be seen both as an affirmation of life and a recognition of death. Of the seven movements, the first and last are prayers for all humanity, movements two and six are Psalm settings, three and five are personal supplications to Christ, and the central Sanctus movement is an affirmation of divine glory. Rutter’s flowing melodies and rich use of choir and instruments have placed him in his present position as one of the most popular “serious” composers of our day.  In this work, this gifted composer has given us a great deal of exceptional choral material that shows his eminent skill and virtuosity. Requiem is considered by many to be his most beautiful and exquisite composition.

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We are thrilled to announce that the featured speaker for the Women’s Spring Tea will be Susan G. Baker. Susan is the Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, author of the upcoming book Passing It On: An Autobiography with Spirit, and recipient of the 2007 Eisenhower Leadership Distinguished Public Service Award, among her many other accomplishments. Susan is a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, and she is married to James A. Baker III, former Secretary of State for President George H.W. Bush. Please mark your calendars for this exciting event on Saturday, March 20, 2010,  from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m. in the Murray Center. More information about the tea will be released in upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is an exciting ministry to moms with pre-school-aged children. The purpose of MOPS is to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ.

The St. Thomas’ Episcopal MOPS group meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month in the Ingram Room from 9:30 to 11:00am. The kids are welcome to join us as we discuss the adventures of motherhood, share ideas, play and pray together. Meeting dates: December 10, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8, and May 13.

Contact Cat Anderson for more information: cat@catanderson.com